For a long time, the title of richest man in Europe fell to Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of Ikea. It seems, though, that his title may have been taken away. Rinat Akhmetov (pictured), a Ukrainian businessman, may now hold that honor, at least according to an article in the Korrespondent (Hat tip: Ukrainiana). According to the Korrespondent, Akhmetov is worth some $31.1 billion, while Forbes has Kamprad pegged at 'only' $31 billion. If it's true, this development would be consistent with a Merrill Lynch/Capgemini study showing that Western Europe is losing its share of the world's billionaires because of large gains in developing and transition countries.
However, Akhmetov is not the only person with a claim to be richest man in Europe. According to Stanislav Belkovsky, a "controversial political scientist," Vladimir Putin is worth some $40 billion. Putin declined the honor of this particular title, calling the political scientist's claim "trash."
Join the Conversation